“Kind of newsy”

Former White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, cloaked in a grant of immunity, testified in the increasingly fascinating Scooter Libby trial Monday, saying he and the defendant on July 7, 2003, discussed the dish over a nosh:

They talked about Fleischer’s career plans and their shared interest in the Miami Dolphins football team, Fleischer testified. He can’t remember who brought it up but he said the conversation then turned to the growing controversy over former Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who accused the White House of ignoring prewar intelligence on Iraq.

“Ambassador Wilson was sent by his wife,” Fleischer recalled Libby saying. “His wife works for the CIA.”

Fleischer said Libby also used the woman’s name, Valerie Plame, and told him it was “hush hush.”

“My sense is that Mr. Libby was telling me this was kind of newsy,” Fleischer said.

Fleischer’s timeline places his conversation with Libby three days before Libby claims he first found out about Valerie Plame’s identity — from NBC News’ Tim Russert.

Four days later on Air Force One, then-White House communications director Dan Bartlett (now counselor to the prez) griped to Fleischer that the news media kept reporting that Cheney sent Wilson to Niger. Not so, Bartlett told Fleischer!

“His wife sent him,” Fleischer recalled Bartlett saying. “She works at the CIA.”

Fleischer said he relayed that information to reporters from Time magazine and NBC. A reporter from Newsweek magazine was also there but may have walked away, he said. The reporters paid no attention to the comment, he testified.

“I never in my wildest dreams thought this information was classified,” Fleischer testified.

So the question at this point is who didn’t tell reporters about Plame’s identity? Libby is on trial for lying and obstructing the investigation into the leak. We are all agog waiting to see if Rove will testify.